Opinion: The cultural exchange between China and Africa is gaining momentum

He Wenping, news.cgtn.com

Editor's note: He Wenping is a research fellow at the Charhar Institute and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The friendship between peoples is the foundation of state-to-state relations; and the friendship between the peoples hinges on mutual understanding.

In the face of rapid globalization and regional integration as well as increasingly diversified actors in international relations, it's imperative not only for state diplomacy to keep up with the times by adopting a more down-to-earth approach to promoting China's policies, but also for the government to mobilize non-governmental organizations in all walks of society to participate in China-Africa people-to-people diplomacy and cultural exchanges. 

These approaches can strengthen civil dialogue and cultural understanding between China and Africa.

The 5th China-Africa People's Forum was held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, on July 24, 2018. /VCG Photo.

Both China and Africa are the cradles of human civilization and have splendid cultural heritages, which makes China-Africa cultural exchanges rich in stories and history.

For thousands of years, people of all ethnic groups in Africa have created colorful and unique cultures. Africa is home to a number of outstanding writers, anthropologists, dancers, singers, sculptors and sports stars. The ancient, broad, profound and romantic African culture emanates a strong appeal.

In terms of the underlying cultural spirit, African culture and traditional values are in essence very close to cultures in the East such as China. Commonalities include the belief in collectivism and an emphasis on an individual’s obedience to collective decisions.

With a history of 5000 years of civilized development, China should strengthen cultural exchanges and cooperation with Africa. Together, China and Africa can become equal partners in jointly promoting the prosperity and progress of human civilization.

Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2000, the bilateral cultural exchanges and dialogues have been increasingly valued by leaders of both sides.

The 5th China-Africa People's Forum was held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, on July 24, 2018. /VCG Photo.

In the "new strategic partnership for China and Africa" established at the 2006 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, "cultural exchange and mutual learning" were placed in equally important positions as “sovereign equality and mutual trust" and "win-win economic cooperation."

The fifth ministerial meeting of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation held in July 2012 identified new initiatives in five areas of China-Africa cooperation in the next three years. At the meeting, China-Africa non-governmental exchange was named as one of five prioritized areas of the bilateral cooperation.

The government's dedication has accelerated the cultural exchanges between China and Africa. Over the past 20 years, traditional programs in China-Africa cultural exchange, such as exchange of government cultural delegations, performance groups and holding exhibitions, have been expanded. New ways of cooperation and opportunities for dialogues have also been explored.

For example, in 2006, the Chinese Ministry of Culture launched the “African Cultural Visitor Program”which set up a platform for direct exchanges between artists in China and Africa.

In recent years, under the program, cultural policy roundtables, cultural industry roundtables and cultural heritage protection fora have been held in succession.

The media meeting of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation was held in Beijing on Sep.1, 2018. /VCG Photo.

In terms of cultural institutions, the Chinese Ministry of Culture launched the China-Africa Cultural Partnership Program” in 2012 to encourage and support cultural institutions at all levels to directly participate in China-Africa cultural exchanges.

In addition, the "China-Africa People's Forum" organized by China NGO Network for International Exchange has been held five times so far. The fifth China-Africa People's Forum held in Chengdu in July 2018 launched 30 non-governmental cooperation projects which would be implemented by Chinese NGOs in the next three years.

At last, China-Africa cooperation takes both financial resources and profound wisdom. China has increased personnel training programs for Africans, provided government-funded scholarships to African students in China ("invite in") and sent more young volunteers to Africa ("go out").

In recent years, the frequency and depth of exchanges between Chinese and African think tanks have also grown, deepening the cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between people in China and Africa.

On August 25, 2018, the Beijing Olympic Park is newly decorated to welcome the upcoming China-Africa Cooperation Forum Beijing Summit. /VCG Photo.

High-frequency, large-scale and multi-level exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and African academia can effectively enhance mutual understanding and enrich the form and content of cultural exchanges between China and Africa.

At the same time, it provides strong intellectual support for the development of the China-Africa relationship.

Looking ahead, with the deepening of cultural exchanges between China and Africa, China's civil society and non-governmental organizations with strong capabilities and sufficient talents will gradually and orderly participate in China-Africa cooperation projects.

As more people benefit from China-Africa cooperation, the public opinion in favor of the China-Africa common development will be more solid. Only then can China's public diplomacy [JB emphasis] and non-governmental cooperation with Africa blossom and bear fruit on the fertile soil.